JP2005161066A - Razor head - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a shaving device for comfortably shaving in close contact with the skin, without requiring many assembling processes. <P>SOLUTION: This razor head is arranged on the side outside of blade edges 20, 30 and 40, and has a support structure 50 having a side part 80 formed of an elastic material, for example, a synthetic rubber-like component. The razor head performs high-degree control to the skin by imparting a smooth feeling when the skin flows on blades by shaving processing by arranging the elastic material engaging and contacting with the skin in the side part of the razor head support structure 50 on the side outside of the blades 20, 30 and 40. The elastic material is used for the revolvable connection between relatively movable two members in a constitution of the support structure 50 for damping vibration. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a razor head used for shaving.

  Several razor heads have been formed in recent years that include disposable cartridges with one or more dynamic elements. For example, some disposable cartridges are formed with a blade or other skin engaging member that moves relative to the support structure of the cartridge in response to forces encountered during shaving. One disadvantage of devices that are commercially available that incorporate dynamic blades and guard members is that a relatively large number of parts must be manufactured and assembled separately. It would be desirable to provide a shaving device that can provide a close and comfortable shaving that does not require many separate assembly steps.

  In the manufacture of a safety razor, it has been conventionally performed to arrange a guard bar or a guard member at a position of a razor head structure such that the guard bar contacts the shaving surface before the front edge. The distance between the guard bar skin engaging surface and the adjacent blade affects the angle at which the blade edge contacts the skin. Various materials may be used in forming such a guard bar, but the guard member is usually only a part of the skin engaging member of the razor head. Previously known devices have not attempted to better control the skin flow over the blade edge by changing the materials used for other parts of the cartridge support structure.

  Further, conventionally known dynamic shaving devices typically use a relatively rigid material such as polypropylene or metal where the movable skin engaging member contacts the razor head support structure. Using rigid materials for these parts of the razor head increases the possibility of vibrations referred to as “chattering” for the blade. “Blade chattering” refers to the unwanted vibrational movement of the blade as it is swept across the skin surface. Such oscillating motion is undesirable. This is because such blade vibration impairs the smooth and uniform hair shaving effect. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a razor head configured to reduce the possibility of such vibrational movement of the blade.

Various embodiments of the present invention relate to a razor head and a method of manufacturing a razor head configured to provide a tight and comfortable shave.
One embodiment of the present invention comprises a support structure having a lateral portion disposed laterally outward of the blade edge and having a higher coefficient of friction against the skin surface than a conventional rigid polymer such as, for example, polypropylene. The side portion is formed of an elastic material made of a synthetic rubber-like component. By placing an elastic material on the side of the razor head support structure that engages the skin laterally outside the blade edge, a soft feeling is imparted to the shaving area. In addition, by providing a large coefficient of friction between the side of the support structure of the razor head and the shave skin surface, the skin is highly advanced when it flows over the blade, especially the upper or rear blade. Control can be performed.

  According to another aspect of the invention, an elastic material is used in the structure of the support structure in the connection region between the two relatively movable members. For example, some embodiments of the present invention have a blade supported by a blade support that is pivotally connected to a support structure of a razor head. The blade support is received by the receiving portion of the inner side wall of the support structure. Instead of forming corresponding receptacles on the inner side walls of the blade support and the support structure from a rigid material such as polypropylene or metal, the receptacles and / or pins are formed from an elastic material such as synthetic rubber. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that by using an elastic material having a large coefficient of friction for the blade support pins, these embodiments of the present invention advantageously dampen blade vibration characteristics.

  According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the frame is formed from a conventional rigid thermoplastic material, such as polypropylene, and the elastic member is attached to a selected portion of the frame, for example via insert molding.

  Another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention is where these embodiments can be manufactured, for example, by insert molding that minimizes the time, labor, and sub-components required for manufacturing.

  Various embodiments of the dynamic razor head can use a rigid and / or flexible blade to provide a safe, tight and comfortable shaving.

  The present invention provides a razor head designed to provide a safe, tight and comfortable shaving and a method of forming the same. As used herein, the term “razor head” includes a razor cartridge configured to be attached to another razor, as well as, for example, a beard cutting portion of a shaving device integrally formed with a handle of a conventional disposable razor. Means that.

  One embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in which three blades 20, 30 and 40 are independently supported by three blade supports 21, 31, and 41, respectively, so as to be pivotable. ing. These blade supports are connected to the cartridge support structure 50 via torsion members 22, 32 and 42. The blades of this embodiment of the invention are arranged in a parallel spaced relationship so as to sequentially contact the shave skin surface.

  The elastic front guard member 70 is disposed in front of the first blade 20 so as to control the contact angle between the blade edge of the front blade 20 and the skin contact surface. The front guard member 70 is advantageously provided with a plurality of protrusions 71 arranged for skin engagement contact. According to the embodiment of the present invention, the protrusion 71 of the guard member 70 extends upward substantially at right angles to the skin contact surface.

  In addition to the forward guard member 70, which is mostly disposed along the blade edge, this embodiment of the present invention provides an elastic material disposed laterally outside the blade edge on the side of the cartridge support structure 50. Skin engaging side portions 80 are provided. According to this and other embodiments of the present invention, the resilient side portions 80 are preferably positioned higher than the blade edge as best shown in the side view of FIG. The skin engaging portion and the blade edge of the guard member 70 are set lower than the elastic side portion 80. In this manner, the elastic side portion 80 of the cartridge support structure 50 is positioned to engage the skin adjacent to the area of the shave skin. One skilled in the art will appreciate that elastic materials such as synthetic rubbery components can provide a coefficient of friction that is greater than conventional rigid engineering plastics such as polystyrene or ABS commonly used in cartridge support structures. The elastic material of the present invention is advantageously configured to provide a feel to the skin in a manner that mitigates the undesirable feeling of sharp edges moving on the skin. Furthermore, the large coefficient of friction of the elastic material used in the elastic side portion 80 allows the side portion to grip the skin as the skin flows over the blade and allows great control of the skin. The overall result of this aspect of the invention improves the control of skin flow and minimizes the traditional undesirable feel associated with shaving.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a part of the elastic side portion 80 can be formed as the elastic protrusion 81 in the same manner as the elastic protrusion 71 of the front guard member 70. In this embodiment, the front portion of the elastic side portion 80 has a protruding portion 81 protruding upward parallel to the protruding portion 71 of the guard member 70. Although the illustrated protruding portion 81 extends only to a part of the side portion 80, the protruding portion 81 can be formed along the entire skin engaging portion of the side portion 80. Furthermore, the direction of the protruding portion 81 can be the same direction as the direction of the protruding portion 71 of the guard member 70 or a different direction (a direction perpendicular to the blade edge).

  The elastic material used for the front guard member 70 and the elastic side portion 80 is formed of an elastic material having a higher coefficient of friction against the skin than the conventional rigid polymer normally used in razor heads. For example, a suitable anti-corrosive elastic material is the Hercule Plain 1000,3000 series available from J Bonn, Leominster, Mass., Shore A hardness 30-90, Kraton G available from Shell Chemical Company, Lisle, Illinois. Series, Shore A hardness 30 to 90, Santoprene 2271 series available from Monsanto, Shore A hardness 30 to 90, SEBS (ethylene butadiene amide block with styrene end block) and EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) A thermoplastic elastomer such as can be used.

  According to another embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the blades is disclosed in US Pat. No. 1,035,548, US Pat. No. 3,263,330, US Pat. No. 3, incorporated herein by reference. , 505,734, U.S. Pat. No. 3,750,285, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,006.

  According to the preferred manufacturing method of the present invention, the front blade 20, the intermediate blade 30, and the rear blade 40 are disposed in the forming cavity. The thermoplastic material is injected into the forming cavity to form a blade support 21 around the blade 20, a blade support 31 around the blade 30, and a blade support 41 around the blade 40. The Each blade support preferably includes a torsional connection member such as connection member 22. The use of a torsional connection member that attaches the blade support to the support cartridge support structure facilitates the production of a dynamic shaving device that is movable in response to the force that the blade encounters during shaving.

  In addition to forming the blade support around the rear portion of the blade, the cartridge support structure of this embodiment is formed during this initial molding process. The resulting structure is transferred to another molding cavity, or more preferably, so that a continuous injection of the material forming the elastic front guard member 70 and the elastic side portions 80 of the support structure 50 can be performed. The forming cavity is deformed. Also, other deformations of the molding cavity are made so that the shaving aid 90 can be injection molded at the desired location.

  According to another embodiment of the invention, the blade support portion of the razor head has a support frame of a first material such as polypropylene or ABS, preferably a rigid thermoplastic material, and the support claims include pockets. Is formed. The pocket of the frame is configured to receive a second material, such as one or more elastic materials described above. In accordance with a preferred aspect of this embodiment of the invention, the cartridge support portion is adapted to receive a torsion member of the blade support. This embodiment has improved flexibility in the construction and performance characteristics of such a razor head. For example, a first elastic material having one hardness is used in conjunction with the first blade support, and a second elastic material having a different hardness affects the movement of the second blade support. Are arranged as follows. Thus, different blade movements exhibit different movements in response to equal forces. Furthermore, if desired, a third elastic material having a different hardness at the skin engaging surface is used. Also within the scope of the present invention, one elastic material is used for one skin engaging surface and at least one other elastic material having a different hardness is used for the other skin engaging surface. From this description, it will be appreciated that the use of one or more elastic materials as described herein that provides three advantages to the shaving device of the present invention is preferred. Initially they provide controlled movement, i.e. controlled movement of one or more skin engaging members. Secondly, the elastic material placed near the connection between the movable skin engaging member and the blade support frame provides a damping effect and reduces the possibility of the blade making noise during shaving. Third, the use of elastic material in the skin engaging portion can provide some benefits to the feel during shaving by hiding the undesirable feelings commonly associated with shaving.

  From this description, it will be appreciated that the torsional connection member of the blade support can be integrally formed with the rigid cartridge support to which the desired skin engaging elastic member is connected. Alternatively, if the blade support connection member is received in a receiving portion of the support structure side wall formed from an elastic member, the original memory "home" position after the external memory from the blade removes external forces from the blade It is preferable that the connecting member is formed in a non-cylindrical shape so as to act on the blade support so as to return the blade. Conventional shaving angle and blade exposure can be used, but if desired, the shaving angle and blade exposure can be varied by changing the location of the effective pivot axis of the blade.

  3, 4 and 4A show a blade support according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, at least one connection pin 122 of the blade support 121 has a semicircular cross section. According to this embodiment of the present invention, the blade support 121 is adapted to fit within a complementary semi-circular receptacle 182 formed on the inner surface of the side wall of the cartridge support structure. As mentioned above, the semicircular receptacle is made of an elastic material similar to that described above, i.e. the elastic side portions 80 and / or the elastic guard member 70 in the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. It is preferable that the elastic material is the same as that used in the above. Using such an elastic material to form the receptacle attenuates the vibration imparted to the blade during shaving.

  FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention in which the blade support connection portion 222 is formed in a generally cylindrical shape with a key-shaped extension 223. According to this embodiment of the invention, the connecting portion 222 is adapted to fit within a complementary key-shaped receptacle 282 on the inner surface of the side wall of the cartridge support structure. As in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the receiving part shown in FIG. 4 is also preferably made of an elastic material for the reasons described above.

  FIG. 4A shows another embodiment of the present invention wherein the blade support connection portion 922 is formed in a generally cylindrical shape with a cylindrical hole 923 extending therethrough. According to this embodiment of the invention, the connection pin 922 is adapted to fit a complementary cylindrical receptacle 982 on the inner surface of the side wall of the cartridge support structure. As in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the receptacle shown in FIG. 4A is also preferably formed from an elastic material for the reasons described above, and when it is injection molded around the connecting portion 922, the elastic material has elastic side walls. The structure and blade support are interconnected, but are formed into holes 923 so that the connecting portion 922 can be rotated relative to the sidewall structure.

  Various embodiments of the present invention are configured to be relatively easy to manufacture. For example, the side view of the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2 shows that most members are formed in a shape defined by vertical lines. One skilled in the art will appreciate that this configuration can readily form the razor head using a vertically controlled shaped member.

  Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. This embodiment is a razor head having two blades, and has a front blade 320 and a rear blade 330 supported by blade supports 321 and 331, respectively. According to an embodiment of the present invention, only the first portion 371 of the guard bar 370 is preferably formed from an elastic material. The remaining portion of the guard member 370 is formed from a conventional rigid material. This embodiment also differs from the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 in that the shaving aid 390 extends rearward from above the cartridge support structure 350. Further, the pivot connection 322 between the blade supports 321 and 331 and the side wall 350 is disposed below the blade. According to this configuration, the force applied to the front blade 320 increases the shaving angle. Depending on the relative position of the blade edge and the central axis of the support pin, the blade exposure can be increased or decreased in response to the force encountered by the blade edge during shaving. According to various embodiments of the present invention, it is not necessary for both blades to act similarly in response to similar functions. As best shown in the side cross-sectional view of FIG. 6, the position of the edge of the rear blade 330 relative to the support pin 332 is far ahead of the position of the edge of the front blade 320 relative to the blade support pin 322. According to this embodiment, the rear blade 330 has a greater increase in blade exposure than the front blade 320 for equal rotation angles.

  Another aspect of this embodiment of the invention provides a movable guard 325 for the front blade support 321. Many conventional two-blade shaving devices do not have a skin surface engaging member disposed between the front blade and the rear blade so that the front blade controls the angle at which the skin contacts the rear blade. It serves as a guard member for the rear blade. According to the illustrated embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the guard surface 325 protrudes upward to contact the skin and reduces the span that the skin enters before contacting the edge of the rear blade 330. .

  Other embodiments of the present invention are similar to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 except that a plurality of blade supports are operatively connected. The razor head of this embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 has a front blade 420 and a rear blade 430 supported by an integral blade support. As shown in FIG. 7, the blade support has a front support block 425 and a rear support block 435 extending to the side of the blade over the entire length of the blade. Each support block has a portion 428, 438 at one end, and this portion 428, 438 is provided with connection pins 429, 439 corresponding to the cartridge support structure 440 so as to be pivotable.

  According to this embodiment of the invention, each blade support is connected by a connecting member 427. This connecting member is used to transmit shaving force and movement from one blade to the other blade. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, since the pivot axis of each blade is disposed below and behind the blade edge, the force that any blade encounters increases the shaving angle in response to the force encountered during shaving. And increase the exposure of the blade.

  Changes in the relative positions of the pivot and the blade edge can change the effect on the blade exposure and shaving angle corresponding to the forces encountered during shaving. For example, when the position of the swivel pin is such that the front blade receives more force than the rear blade and performs more work, that is, the shaving angle of the front blade increases and the exposure of the front blade decreases slightly In addition, the shaving angle of the rear blade is reduced and the exposure of the rear blade is reduced. Correspondingly, if more back blades operate and bear more of the force the blades encounter during shaving, the back blade exposure is reduced and the back blade shaving angle is increased, resulting in the front Blade exposure increases and the forward blade shaving angle decreases.

  Further, the blade support can be connected in other forms as shown in FIG. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a connecting member 527 arranged in a substantially horizontal direction is used to connect the portions 528 and 538 of the blade supports 521 and 531. According to this embodiment of the present invention, the rearward force that the front blade 520 encounters tends to move the rear blade to the side with less rotation than in the previously described embodiments. In accordance with this embodiment of the invention, the support pins 522, 532 are formed from an elastic material to allow relative movement of the entire blade support relative to the side wall of the cartridge support.

  While embodiments of the present invention have at least two blades pivotally supported within the razor head, the advantages of the present invention can also be achieved with a single blade razor head. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the described embodiments can be readily adapted to single blade devices. Further, the elastic side portion arranged so as to be in contact with the skin can be applied to a shaving device having a fixed blade and a single-blade device according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Benefits are achieved.

1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which follows the line 2-2 of FIG. It is a fragmentary perspective view of the complementary receiving part of the blade support body and cartridge support structure of the other Example of this invention. FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of a blade support and a complementary cartridge support structure according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4A is a partial perspective view of a blade support and complementary cartridge support structure of another embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the other Example of this invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. It is a sectional side view of the other Example of this invention. It is a perspective view of the blade support structure of the Example shown in FIG. It is a fragmentary perspective view of the blade support structure of the other Example of this invention.

Claims (14)

A support structure;
Having at least one blade movably supported with respect to the support structure;
The blade is connected to the support structure by a connection device that movably connects the blade to the support structure, the connection device having a razor head having at least one elastic material portion formed from an elastic material.   The connection device includes a blade support connected to the blade, the blade support includes a pin, and the connection device includes a receiving portion defined by the support structure for receiving the pin; The razor head according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the pin and the receiving portion includes an elastic material.   The razor head according to claim 2, wherein the pin has a semicircular cross section.   The razor head according to claim 2, wherein the pin has a non-circular cross section.   The razor head according to claim 1, wherein the receiving portion defined by the support structure includes an elastic material. The razor head according to claim 1, wherein the elastic material portion is made of a material selected from the group consisting of SEBS and EPDM.   The razor head of claim 1, wherein the razor head has a plurality of operatively connected blades wherein the movement of the first blade results in movement of the second blade.   The first blade is supported by a first blade support and is disposed in front of the second blade, and the first blade support includes the first blade and the second blade. The razor head of claim 7 having a skin engaging portion disposed therebetween. A support structure;
Having a first blade and a second blade;
The first blade is supported by a first blade support and is disposed in front of the second blade, and the first blade support is between the first blade and the second blade. A razor head having a skin engaging portion disposed on the surface. A guard bar disposed in front of the first blade;
Having at least one skin engaging side portion having a portion disposed laterally outside the blade edge of the blade and rearward of the guard bar;
The razor head according to claim 9, wherein the skin engaging side portion comprises an elastic material.   The razor head according to claim 9, further comprising a support device that rotatably supports the blade on the support structure.   12. A razor head according to claim 11, wherein the pivotable support device comprises an elastic material. At least a first movable blade supported by a first blade support, and a second movable blade supported by a second blade support, the first and second blade supports being , Pivotally connected to the first and second portions of the sidewall,
At least one of the first blade support or the first portion of the side wall includes a first elastic material having a first hardness, and the second blade support or the second portion of the side wall. The shaving device has a second elastic material having a hardness different from the first hardness. At least one blade;
A blade support having a plurality of skin engaging portions, at least one skin engaging portion having a first elastic material having a first hardness, and at least one other skin engaging portion being A shaving device having a second elastic material having a second hardness.

Images